Church plans new gym, teen outreach center for downtown Oroville

OROVILLE — A large donation of equipment has stepped up a local church's plans to open a gym and teen outreach center soon in Oroville.

The Father's House in South Oroville plans to open a nonprofit gym in downtown Oroville, though the exact location isn't certain yet.

"Oroville is high risk for alcohol and other issues for teens," said church spokeswoman Danielle Devine in a phone interview Monday. "There's not really a place for kids in this town to hang out, get quality training and nutrition classes."

Devine said the church obtained a donation from a company for $100,000 worth of "almost new" equipment.

The new endeavor will be called The Lord's Gym. It's part of a franchise of 27 nonprofit gyms running throughout California, the United States and internationally.

The idea is to help teens train while also providing a state-of-the-art gym for adults at affordable prices, Devine said.

Besides the gym, the facility will also be a youth outreach center, providing a computer lab and game room for teens.

The church will run the gym.

Although the equipment will arrive this week, Devine said they still need some items: mirrors for the walls, flat-screen televisions for when people work out and for the outreach center, a set of commercial-grade dumbells and gym mats for the floor.

Once it's opened, monthly membership will be $20 for adults and $5 for youth ages 13-18, Devine said.

She also said people can sponsor a teen membership for $5 a month, or $120 for two years, "So we don't have to turn any kids away."

For information, call Derek Devine on his cellphone at 1-503-713-3513.

Staff writer Barbara Arrigoni can be reached at 533-3136, barrigoni@orovillemr.com, or on Twitter @OMRBarbara.